


Demotion

by Wallwalker



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Community: ff_exchange, Drama, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-21
Updated: 2010-01-21
Packaged: 2017-10-06 12:57:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wallwalker/pseuds/Wallwalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Quistis had known that her decision would come back to haunt her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Demotion

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a Chocobo Down entry for Final Fantasy Exchange.

Quistis had known when she'd run up to that machine gun turret that her decision was going to come back to haunt her. She'd known it very clearly, and had done a good job of forcing the panicky thoughts down as she had aimed at the Galbadian robot and gunned it down before it could bear down on Zell and crush him. She'd known that what she had done was against Garden regulations, that the cadets were supposed to make these decisions themselves and protect their own. That she should have allowed them to save Zell themselves - or not to save him, if they had been unable to do so.

Knowing it did not make standing in the hallway outside of the elevator to the Headmaster's office any easier for her, though. It didn't make any of it feel fair or right, not in the slightest.

She did not know what was going to happen, and she had no idea what she was going to say when he called her into his office. What could she say? That she was sorry? No, she wasn't going to lie to the Headmaster; she strongly suspected that he would know she was lying, anyway. Some of his students assumed that because he was an amicable, often easygoing man, he was obviously a fool or a pushover, or both. Quistis had worked with him long enough to know better.

When the elevator opened and the faculty man had walked out and nodded to her, beckoning her to get onto the elevator as if she wasn't worth the time it would have taken him to say the words, she didn't let it offend her. The Garden faculty members had been very cold lately, to the Headmaster and even to the SeeDs themselves; she knew that there had to be some reason for it, some sort of posturing that she wasn't privy to.

She was already in a lot of trouble, though, and she really didn't need to start an argument. Not then. So she simply nodded politely at the robed man and walked past him, not waiting for him to make an announcement when she already knew what he was going to say. Headmaster Cid was ready for her; she wasn't going to keep him waiting.

It was the longest and loneliest elevator ride that she had ever remembered taking. She could not help but stare at the lights that flashed on the control panel and wondering why this was happening to her. In any normal circumstance, or even in any other military installation, she would be getting a commendation for saving a man's life. And yet here she was, about to be demoted, or - worse - cast out, expelled from Garden altogether.

Quistis couldn't stand the thought. She didn't know why, but the very idea of being cast out from Garden made her heart race and her mouth go completely dry. It was the fear that she would have failed so completely, that she would've worked so hard to be licensed as an instructor but that it would've all been for nothing. It frightened her, made it almost impossible for her to keep her cool. She was sure that Cid was going to notice; she just hoped he wasn't going to say anything.

The elevator opened. There was no putting it off now. Quistis walked into the Headmaster's office slowly, with as much restraint as she could manage, even though she wanted to turn and run.

"Hello, Quistis," Cid said, standing at his desk. He was smiling slightly - not as much as he had smiled the day that she'd gotten the license, but not frowning, either. It didn't make her feel much better, though. Mostly she felt confused. "Please, have a seat." He waved his hand to the chairs that he'd set up on the far side of his desk.

He did not usually have extra chairs in the office; he must have put it there just for her. Quistis was startled, but tried her best to conceal her surprise. "Yes, Headmaster Cid," she said formally, saluting before sitting down.

She marked the strange, familiar look on the Headmaster's face as he watched her salute him, something very much like distaste. But it faded quickly, and he sat down, staring at some papers on his desk for a moment before he spoke. "We've selected the new SeeDs for this term."

Quistis blinked. The examination had only just ended, and they'd already finished selection? That was unheard of. "That was an unusually quick decision on the part of the examiners, Headmaster," she said.

"Yes, well... the choices this year were more obvious than they have been in the past." He chuckled slightly. "I can't give you names, of course. You know the protocol as well as anyone, perhaps better than most. But I will tell you that of the four that were selected, two of them were listed as your students."

Quistis let go of a breath that she had not realized that she had been holding. She'd had a number of students participating in the examination, but she knew the grading criteria well enough to know that Cid was right about the choices. She knew which of the two had been chosen. "I'm glad to hear that, sir. Thank you."

"Of course. It's to your credit as an instructor, you know. Particularly since the two of them were forced to deal with a difficult situation, due largely to orders from their Squad Leader." He frowned slightly, then sighed. "We'll have to deal with him sooner or later. There's been talk among the cadets, and some of the more impressionable ones want to emulate him. That will have to be stopped."

"Of course." Privately, Quistis thought that it should've been sooner, rather than later. She'd been including statements in her class reports about Seifer's dangerous charisma and his subversive ideas for months, and no one had said or done anything. "But the others won't be penalized for that?"

"Of course not. They followed orders, obeyed protocol to the letter, and performed extremely well. There's no reason to penalize them for their leader's actions, not when they did so well with the situation that he was responsible for." He paused for a moment, and his smile vanished. "I had hoped that their performance and their selection would give me grounds to fight their other decision, but... I'm afraid my hands are tied in this. You understand."

And there it was. "I do, sir," she said, looking down at the desk. "I... I acted against Examination protocol. I have no excuses for what I did."

"Quistis, listen to me." The Headmaster's voice was uncharacteristically sharp; Quistis could not help but look up. "I know what your reasons were. And as far as I'm concerned, your actions were completely appropriate. It wasn't the cadets' fault that they'd been led into a situation that was completely beyond their ability, and we should have been allowed to help them. If you hadn't acted, two of the most promising new operatives in years would be dead."

"Then why?" she asked, forgetting herself for a moment. Then she felt herself go red. "With all due respect, why am I being punished for doing the right thing."

"Quistis..." Cid shook his head and sighed. "You must understand that I'm not the only person in charge. And some of the people with whom I am compelled to work are closed-minded and inflexible and cannot see past the letter of the regulations to see the spirit behind them. Worse than that - most of them are money-grubbing fools who don't care who dies, as long as we have our money."

Quistis couldn't do anything but stare at him, shocked at his candor to a subordinate. Why was he telling her this?

"Forgive me," he said, as if in answer to her thoughts. "I must ask that this entire conversation be kept confidential and off the official record. We would both be in a great deal of trouble if others were to hear of it." He sighed. "I'm telling you this so that you will understand the value that I place in your abilities as an instructor. So that you will understand that what I have to do today is done only out of protocol, not out of any lack of ability. Some would say that your behavior makes you a threat to Garden, to SeeD itself. I want you to understand that I do not agree with them."

"Thank you," Quistis said softly, curiously.

"Of course," he said, seeming somewhat flustered, looking away. "At any rate, I'm afraid I must get down to business." He reached out, pressed a couple of buttons on his desk console. "Instructor Quistis Trepe," he said, his voice growing sterner, as stern as she'd ever heard from him. "I assume that you know why you are here."

"Yes, Headmaster," she said automatically, momentarily puzzled before she realized what was happening. It made perfect sense, then. She changed her own voice, tried to sound as contrite as she could. "I have no excuse for my actions, sir," she repeated. "I saw my students in trouble, and I panicked."

"I'm afraid that there is no room for panic in this organization," he said, but she caught the surprised gratitude for her comprehension. That clinched it; they were being recorded. Someone was going to be reviewing this conversation. "Your lapse in restraint shows that you are lacking in the leadership skills required for your position. I have no choice but to revoke your license as an Instructor in Garden."

She closed her eyes. It wasn't a surprise, but that didn't make the words any easier to hear. "Yes, Headmaster."

He nodded. "You will be barred from all Instructor training classes for no less than five years. During that interim, you will be considered a normal operative of SeeD."

Her head snapped up. She was still going to be a SeeD? She had expected to be fully demoted!

"You will be subject to the mission requirements of all SeeD Operatives, and will be expected to meet fieldwork quota or risk expulsion from Garden," he continued. "Your special exemption from field service is hereby revoked." He paused. "Do you have anything to say for yourself, Operative Trepe?"

"I..." She had to say it. Even if they weren't going to listen to her, she had to try. "My actions saved the lives of two -" She caught herself immediately - she had almost said _two future SeeDs,_ and that would have been a disaster. "Two skilled and promising cadets. I do not believe that my actions were wrong."

"I see." Cid stood up. "You are dismissed, Operative Trepe."

"Sir," she said, and stood as well. She saluted as sharply as she could manage, marked the discomfort on his face again - did it mean something? She wasn't sure. She would have to investigate at some future date. But for now, she turned on her heel and marched back to the elevator.

She left the elevator, walked back to her apartment - no Faculty members were waiting at the door to tell her to pack her things, which was at least a small comfort. It was only then that she allowed herself to relax, to sit down on the bed and bury her head in her hands. She'd worked so hard for her license. Despite the fact that she had not lost as much as she had expected, they'd taken far more than she'd ever wanted to lose.

More troubling, though, was what Cid had told her, off the record. Why had he been compelled to keep their conversation a secret? What, or who, was working against him? And, most disturbing of all, what other secrets were they forcing him to keep?

She couldn't handle all of this alone. She needed someone to talk to, and she didn't know if she had anyone. They'd been so eager to talk to her when she had first gotten her license, she thought sourly, when she'd been doing so well. But who was going to talk to her now?

Her mind was blank. She was going to have to think of someone before the end of the evening, though; she had to tell someone, or she'd go crazy. Maybe she'd go ahead and take another risk at the Ball that evening. Why not? Even though she knew that in the end she had gotten off easy, she still didn't feel like she had that much to lose.


End file.
